The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan called for an end to actions that "destabilize" security around the Taiwan Strait, in what appears to be a veiled warning to China amid increasing military exercises in the area.

BRUSSELS (Kyodo) -- The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea on Thursday voiced "serious concerns" over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as well as its growing military cooperation with Russia, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

The United States has taken the first step toward upgrading its military operation in Japan to a joint force headquarters, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Sunday in Tokyo.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani has announced that Tokyo proposed joint production of the SM-6 ship-to-air missile during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on March 30.

But the official referred to the AIM-120 air-to-air missile system that the United States and Japan have agreed to accelerate co-producing during U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's visit to Tokyo on Sunday.

It could offer voluntary restraints on exports, or it could offer to buy more from the U.S. in order to reduce the trade surplus with that country.

Over 80,000 Marines, soldiers, and sailors from our two countries fought at Iwo Jima. More than 26,000 died here. Today, we revere their courage. Today, we remember their valor and

Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp may consider investing in the Alaska LNG project in the United States, Chief Executive Katsuya Nakanishi said on Thursday, adding that careful due diligence would be needed before any decision.

The United States, Japan and the Philippines have staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance.